October 30, 2026, Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo – Repeated displacement, failed harvests, rising food prices, conflict and disease are making it increasingly difficult for people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to feed their children, earn a living and rebuild their lives. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis shows that 28.8 million people are currently facing acute food insecurity in the DRC through December 2026. Without urgent action, an additional 1.5 million people could be pushed into crisis by early 2027, bringing the total to 30.3 million people, nearly one in four people analysed.
The crisis is most severe in eastern and northeastern DRC, particularly in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri, where the protracted and compounding stresses of conflict, violence, displacement, the rapid spread of Ebola and climate shocks continue to disrupt livelihoods and push communities deeper into hunger. The territories of Djugu, Fizi, Shabunda and Walungu are already classified as facing Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of food insecurity, where severe food shortages and acute malnutrition are becoming increasingly common.
“In Ituri and South Kivu, people are skipping meals and making impossible choices between food, education and medicine to survive. The result is acute malnutrition, as mothers struggle to find the nutritious food needed to protect themselves and their babies,” said Clemeny Nkubizi, CARE DRC Country Director. “Women, the backbone of local food production, are trapped in a vicious cycle of repeated displacement, hunger, disease, violence and sexual violence. The Ebola outbreak combined with worsening hunger, while global aid shrinks, creates a catastrophic gap. CARE is working alongside local partners to deliver vital assistance, but we cannot meet skyrocketing needs on dwindling budgets. Without urgent action, millions will be left without the support they need to survive.”
“As farmers, we depend on our fields to feed our families and earn a living. When drought hits, harvests fail, food prices rise, and unpredictable weather makes it harder to plan for the future. It has become difficult to put food on the table. Some days, we are forced to reduce the number of meals we eat, and we worry about how we will feed our children. We need support with seeds, farming tools, and climate-resilient agricultural practices to help us rebuild our livelihoods and ensure our families have enough food,” said Safi, a farmer in South Kivu Province.
Conflict has long-fueled a surge in violence against women and girls, and the Ebola outbreak, with its stresses on households, livelihoods and caregiving also increasing the risks for women, girls and vulnerable people. The outbreak has now surpassed 10,000 cases., with women and girls constituting the majority of confirmed cases, and pregnant and breastfeeding women and infants facing particularly severe consequences due to lack of food. As donors have dramatically cut humanitarian funding to the DRC, aid agencies responding are increasingly stretched, leaving women and girls struggling to cope as critical support is reduced at the very moment needs are escalating.
Mwajuma, a farmer from South Kivu Province who has been displaced multiple times by conflict and floods, told CARE: “Since we were forced to flee our home multiple times, life has become difficult. We have lost our belongings, our sources of income, and access to our fields. Every day, we struggle to find enough food for our children, and sometimes we go to bed hungry, unsure where our next meal will come from,” she said. “We are grateful for the support we have received to help feed our families, rebuild our lives, and restore our dignity. However, the needs in our community remain immense. Many families do not have enough food to eat, and children are getting weaker because they are not eating enough. Much more support is needed to ensure that our children and families have enough nutritious food to live healthy lives.”
For other farmers like Safi Baachana, repeated displacement, climate shocks and rising food prices have made it increasingly difficult to grow food, earn an income and recover from one crisis before the next hits.
CARE and its local partners, including community-based and women-led organisations, are supporting families with food and nutrition assistance, helping farmers protect and rebuild their livelihoods, preparing communities for climate shocks linked to El Niño, and responding to the growing Ebola outbreak. CARE also works to strengthen protection services for women and girls, including support for survivors of violence. Yet the funding needed to meet rising humanitarian needs is not keeping pace. As needs grow and resources shrink, local organisations that are often the first and most trusted responders are struggling to sustain life-saving services for the communities that depend on them.
“Supporting local farmers means investing in stronger, more resilient communities,” said Didier Mnyo’moelwa, Agronomist at CODEVAH, a local partner of CARE. “As a local partner, we work hand in hand with communities to identify their priorities, strengthen agricultural practices, and develop sustainable solutions that respond to their needs. Our deep understanding of local realities enables us to empower farmers, improve their livelihoods, and ensure that the most vulnerable people are not left behind.”
Increased humanitarian funding is urgently needed to ensure that families can access food, healthcare, protection and livelihood support, including direct support to local and women-led organisations to continue delivering life-saving assistance. Without immediate action, millions of people will remain trapped in a cycle of hunger, displacement and disease, with women and children bearing the heaviest burden.
About CARE DRC
CARE has worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1979 supporting communities affected by the country’s long-running conflict. Today, CARE works with local partners to provide humanitarian assistance, strengthen food and nutrition security, improve access to health services, support women’s economic empowerment, build climate resilience, and prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. CARE places women and girls at the centre of its work, supporting communities affected by conflict, displacement, poverty and disease outbreaks to meet immediate needs and build more resilient futures.
For media inquiries, please email usa.media@care.org, or contact Pauline Hurungudo, CARE East and Southern Africa, Regional Communications Advisor, Pauline.Hurungudo@care.org